It is the second time that the Netanyahu government negotiated with Hamas and reached an agreement

This could be a precedent for peace negotiations with all Palestinian factions

Tonight’s ceasefire put an end to a week of brutal warfare which caused suffering on both sides of the border. At least, the Government of Israel was able to understand the limitations of power and stop the war before implementing the threatened ground invasion which would have multiplied the destruction and bloodshed and would have isolated Israel totally.

In spite of the government claims of “surgical bombing”, the past few days saw already an enormous increase in the number of civilians killed, among them many children. Photos of the dead children were spread all over the world – though not published by the Israeli media. PR efforts ( “Hasbara“) would not have stood a chance had the war continued.

According to published details of the agreement reached in Cairo, there is a provision for some relief of Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip. It is to be hoped that such would prove the case, and that it would be the first step to lifting the siege altogether. Lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip is not only a Palestinian interest – it is also an Israeli interest. The siege, which is the continuation of the occupation by other means, has not prevented the mass accumulation of missiles in the Gaza Strip, as we all saw during the past week. But it did cause serious economic damage to the residents of the Gaza Strip, exacerbating poverty, suffering and hatred. The residents of Gaza have the right to free access to the outside world by land, sea, and air – just like the residents of Israel and of all countries.

Egyptian President Morsi played a positive and vital role. Now there is a chance to revitalize the peace with Egypt and to open channels to the rising forces of political Islam throughout the region.

However, such a development requires first and foremost a progress toward peace with the Palestinians.

There are certainly valid grounds for the concerns of many in Israel, and of residents of the south in particular, that the ceasefire signed today would prove but a temporary intermission, and that sooner or later there will be a new outbreak of violence. Absent a real progress towards solving the fundamental issues between Israel and the Palestinian people, such apprehensions could well come true. But this is certainly not inevitable. A move forwards could and should be undertaken, from ceasefire towards full-fledged peace with the Palestinians, with all their parties and factions.

This is the second time that the Netanyahu government negotiated and reached an agreement with Hamas. As in negotiations on the prisoner exchange last year, there was no meeting face to face – the Egyptians passing back and forth messages, proposals and counter proposals – but Netanyahu knew full well with whom he was negotiating.

This could work as a not unimportant precedent towards political negotiations with all Palestinian factions, whose uniting would be in the true interest of Israel. But to actually go in such a direction requires an Israeli government willing to end also the occupation of the West Bank.

A rally in support of recognition of Palestine at the UN, to be held Thursday ( November 29) in Tel Aviv – at 6:00 pm opposite “Independence Hall” on 16 Rothschild Blvd, Tel Aviv.

Gush Shalom joins the rally in support of admitting the State of Palestine to the UN, which was initiated by Israel’s peace and human rights

“The recognition which the UN General Assembly is about to give to the State of Palestine, to be established alongside Israel within the 1967 borders, should have been a day of celebration for Israelis. The Israeli government should have been the first to support this move, instead of waging a hopeless and pointless struggle to prevent it” said former Knesset Member Uri Avnery, Gush Shalom activist, who will be among the speakers at the rally.

“Ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state is not only in the interest of the Palestinians. It is in Israel’s most vital interest. The Occupation is a heavy weight around Israel’s neck, dragging us into the depths of brutality, extremism and racism and utterly corrupting our society. Liberating the Palestinians from the yoke of occupation will liberate the State of Israel from being an occupying and oppressive state.

“It would open to the State of Israel the gateway to a life of peace with its neighbors and to integration in the region where it is located. No longer an isolated enclave surrounded by fences and walls, but a neighbor and economic and political partner of Palestine and Jordan, Egypt and Syria and Lebanon and the other Arab and Muslim countries. The vote of the UN member states is a small, but crucial step towards building this future. That is what the rally, held simultaneously in Tel Aviv, is about.

Hereafter: the joint press release

The November 29, 2012 Initiative

Press release, 28 Nov 2012

Tomorrow, Thursday, November 29, 2012, at 6:00 pm, a rally of Israelis supporting the Palestinian political initiative to get recognition at the United Nations will be held outside the Hall of Independence, 16 Rothschild Blvd, Tel Aviv – the site where the State of Israel was proclaimed in 1948.

Former Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General, Dr. Alon Liel:

“Abu Mazen’s initiative – a historic event that will change the rules of the game”.

“Abu Mazen’s initiative is not a diplomatic gimmick. It is the culmination of a consistent and long-term policy by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, designed to realize historical justice through political means, without bloodshed. A UN recognition of Palestine as a state would enable the Fatah movement to get back to the political and diplomatic arena as a significant player. It would be so, even in light of the gains which Hamas made in the past last year via the Shalit prisoner exchange deal and the ceasefire ending Operation Cloud Pillar” says Dr. Alon Liel, former Director-General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, who is among the initiators of The November 29, 2012 Initiative.

The group’s organizers endorse Abbas’ initiative to get Palestine recognized as a non-member state by the United Nations. They are calling for a rally of Israeli citizens in support of the Palestinian political initiative at the UN, to be held outside the Hall of Independence, 16 Rothschild Blvd, Tel Aviv – the site where the State of Israel was proclaimed.

The initiative’s manifesto states: “We, Israeli citizens, Jewish and Palestinian, support Abu Mazen’s initiative to upgrade the status of Palestine at the United Nations, and call for the immediate establishment of a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders. On this symbolic date of November 29, it is time to realize the vision of two states. This is in the clear interest of both peoples. ”

“The long-lasting and bloody conflict cannot be resolved through the use of brute force, weapons and violence, but through negotiations leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state side by side with the state of Israel. Only then can we ensure a better future for our children” says Dr. Nava Sonnenschein, Director of the School of Peace, one of the organizers of tomorrow’s event.

Among groups taking part in the initiative are the School of Peace and the village of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, the Forum of Peace Organizations, Psychoactive, Gush Shalom, One Voice, activists of the Meretz Hadash parties, Peace Now, Machsom Watch, Combatants for Peace, Ir Amim, Friends of the Earth, and the Association of Arab Environmentalists.

Dr. Liel adds: “An Israeli government which refuses to facilitate the peaceful creation of a Palestinian state will find itself facing a political dead end, completely isolated in the Middle East. We have to choose between a diplomatic upgrade of Fatah or the upgrading of Hamas’s political position. The advanced technologies of the Iron Dome counter-missiles can defend Israel against Hamas rockets, but not from the political myopia of Israel’s own leaders. ”

Prof. Galia Golan, an expert in International Relations: “The Palestinian challenge facing Israel must be understood in its full historical context. Abu Mazen wisely chose the date of November 29, which forces Netanyahu to admit the ongoing injustice. On November 29, 1947, the UN decided to established two states, a Jewish one and an Arab one. Netanyahu demands of Abbas recognition of a Jewish state which already exists for 66 years, but refuses a reciprocal recognition of a Palestinian state. He even rejects a limited and symbolic upgrading of Palestine’s status in the United Nations. Mahmoud Abbas has called the bluff of Netanyahu’s Bar-Ilan Speech, where the PM claimed to support the Two State Solution. Netanyahu’s true position has been laid bare.”

Only 24 hours until the UNGA vote, we are winning country after country across Europe with our massive push. Click below to sign up and send a direct message:

Dear Avaazers,

In 24 hours the UN will vote on whether to recognise a Palestinian state. 1.6 million of us have helped get over 100 countries to back this historic peace initiative! But Israel’s far-right government is furiously opposing it and many countries are still on the fence — let’s get to 2 million voices for Palestinian freedom!

Sign the petition
In 24 hours, the UN will face a historic vote on Palestinian statehood. While extremists in Israel and Gaza killed civilians on both sides last week, responsible leaders backed this peace initiative, and it needs our help to win.

UN recognition of Palestine could help end 40 years of repression and lead to two states — Israel and Palestine — living in peace and security side by side. 1.6 million of us have signed on and helped get over 100 countries to support the bid! But Israel’s far-right government is lobbying hard and many countries are still on the fence.

Heads of state are deciding right now. Our petition is already being widely covered in the media and delivered through actions like a 4 storey-high flag (at right) in front of key government buildings. Click below and let’s get to 2 million voices for a freedom and peace that the Palestinian people have not known for a generation:

After the terrible violence and killings in Gaza and Southern Israel in recent weeks, the urgency for a sustainable solution could not be more obvious. This is a legitimate, non-violent proposal that could turn the tide on endless bad-faith ‘peace’ talks that simply provide cover for the steady illegal colonization of Palestine by Israeli ‘settlements’. This bid could rescue the path to a fair peace process between two states.

The Israeli and US governments are strangely calling the Palestinian bid ‘unilateral’, when in fact it’s a massively popular initiative and all it’s asking is for the world to vote. The UN, World Bank and IMF say that the Palestinians are ready to run their own state, if only the Israeli military occupation would end.

Last year the US alone blocked a Palestinian bid at the UN Security Council. But in the UN General Assembly, all nations vote and this resolution could end the US hegemony over this conflict. It can’t make Palestine a UN member, but it can declare Palestine a state that could have access to a range of international organisations, and it is a crucial step towards ending the occupation.

After our mega campaign in Europe, France and Spain appear to be voting yes! If we all raise our voices now we can persuade all countries to stand on the right side of history and back a Palestinian state. With firm support and financial aid, this could be a turning point. Join the urgent petition to support the bid now:

Palestinian statehood will not bring a resolution to this intractable conflict overnight, but UN recognition will change the dynamics and will begin to unlock the door towards freedom and peace. Across Palestine, people are preparing, with hope and expectation, to reclaim a freedom their generation has never known. Let’s stand with them.

With hope and determination,

Dalia, Alice, Jeremy, Marie, Ricken, Aldine, Nick, Pascal and the rest of the Avaaz team

Gush Shalom welcomes the decision of the Court to issue an order nisi in the appeals against the “Boycott Law”

Avnery: a first step towards deleting this anti-democratic stain from Israel’s law books

Former Knesset Member Uri Avnery and the Gush Shalom movement, in which he is active, welcome the decision of the Supreme Court to issue an order nisi in the appeal against the “boycott law” and require the state to explain why it would not revoke this law. “We were the first to appeal against this despicable law, on the very morning after the oppressive Knesset majority passed it. Fortunately, the struggle was soon joined by a broad spectrum of persons and groups who all submitted their own appeals against this law” says Avnery.

“During the preliminary hearing, the state wanted the appeal to be rejected out of hand, asserting that is was ‘not ripe’. The Court did the opposite – they accepted our request, not only to deal with the appeal on its own merits but also move the hearing to a wider panel of judges, thus confirming that fundamental constitutional issues are involved. There is room for hope that this is the first step towards removing this outrageous anti-democratic stain from the law books of the State of Israel. It is the democratic right of peace-seeking Israeli citizens to boycott settlements established in Occupied Territory in violation of International Law, settlements which deny Palestinians the possibility of an independent state, and thus deny the citizens of Israel the chance of living in peace. Boycott is a perfectly democratic civic action. The right to boycott settlement products displayed on the shelves at the local supermarket is no less than the right of consumers to boycott exorbitantly priced products, the right of the observant to boycott non-kosher food and the right of animal lovers to boycott meat and fur.”

Adv. Gaby Lasky, who along with Adv. Nery Ramati represents Gush Shalom in this appeal, added: “This law severely violates the freedom of expression and the right to equality. After the order nisi was issued, it seems unlikely that the state can offer a convincing justification for this violation, and we hope the court will put an end to it. The enactment of this law was a clear expression of the tyranny of the majority in the Knesset. We hope that the court will make unequivocally clear that also a numerical majority in the Knesset is obliged to maintain the principles of fairness required in a democratic system. ”

Those who attended the preliminary hearing last week witnessed a surprising phenomenon: Eyal Yinon, the Knesset’s legal adviser, declaring that he himself opposes this law, and that before it was passed he made in vain great efforts to dissuade the right-wing Knesset Members from enacting it. Gush Shalom spokesperson Adam Keller commented: “Yinon is caught in an impossible situation in which he is bound to defend an anti-democratic law that he himself opposes. This reflects the situation in which more and more people are put in 2012 Israel, with the government and the Knesset dominated by aggression and trampling on democratic norms. It is but proper that the court authorized representatives of the settlers, the so-called Forum for the Land of Israel, to participate in the proceedings and respond to the appeal. It is the settlers, the tail wagging the dog, who imposed this law on the State of Israel.”

The deadline set by the court for the state to respond is March 14, 2013. That would be short after the establishment of the new government following the general elections of the coming January. So, it may be the first test of the new government’s position regarding the basic democratic rights of the citizens of Israel. ”